The article transfer device described above is provided in, for example, an article transport vehicle, or a stacker crane. The device transfers the article to be transferred to or from a transfer target location provided at an end of an article storage rack or of a conveyor for moving articles, etc. by moving a pair of clamp portions with the article to be transferred gripped by the pair of clamp portions, and by transporting the article in an article transfer direction while supporting the bottom surface of the article by a placement support portion.
As for the articles to be transferred, there are two or more kinds of articles with each kind having a different length in an article lateral direction from the rest. The device is configured to be able to transfer the two or more kinds of the articles by changing the distance between the pair of clamp portions in the gripping positions with a clamp actuator depending on the length, in the lateral direction, of the article to be transferred.
An example of such an article transfer device is one in which a placement support portion, for receiving and supporting the bottom surface of an article, has three support portions including a central support portion that is fixedly provided to a base platform and that supports a central part of the bottom surface of an article in the article lateral direction, and a pair of side support portions which can be moved in the article lateral direction so that the both side portions, in the article lateral direction, of the bottom surface of the article can be supported. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).
When supporting articles of two or more different kinds having different lengths in the article lateral direction by such a placement support portion, the pair of side support portions are moved toward or away from each other depending on the length, in the article lateral direction, of the article to be transferred to move the side support portions to the positions where both side portions of the bottom surface of the article to be transferred can be supported. By configuring the placement support portion in this manner, the weight of the entire equipment can be reduced since the weight of the placement support portion is reduced in comparison with the case where the entire area—in the lateral direction—of the bottom surface of the article is received and supported.